Eventide
by Okadiah
Summary: A kickoff piece for season 4. Hera wants to visit the top of one of the nearby ruins on Yavin as the sun sets, and she wants Kanan to come along with her.


**A/N:** Ah, this is it my friends. Season 4. It's just about here and I'm sure we're in for a wild ride. To kick us off for the end of our wonderful show, I created this piece in collaboration with the artist nightfellart, who made a companion art piece you can find on tumblr. We hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Eventide**

"Hey," Hera said, sliding her hand along Kanan's broad shoulders to capture his attention. "You want to go somewhere with me?"

"Go somewhere with you, darling?" A smile tugged at his lips and with a heave, he pushed himself upright from where he'd been sitting on the _Ghost_ _'s_ ramp. As always, it was a move of grace and Hera watched shamelessly. She'd never grow tired of it. She hadn't in all the years they'd been together, after all. He faced her. "You know I'd follow you anywhere."

Oh, didn't she know it?

"How about to the top of one of the ruins?" Hera offered. "I've heard it's nice up there."

Kanan moved a little closer, grinning at her with that devil-may-care grin she adored.

"Imagine it's pretty private there, too."

"I'd imagine so."

"Then lead the way, oh captain my captain." He swept his hand through the air out ahead of them to indicate his willingness to follow. Hera shook her head at him before leading him down the ramp and across the base's landing bay and to the border of Yavin's forests. Kanan kept easy pace and didn't hesitate to slide in behind her when she mounted a speeder. "I'm starting to get the idea you just wanted little old me all to yourself."

"Just hold on," she said, her heart speeding a little when Kanan's warm hands wrapped around her waist. She brought the speeder to life, and they raced away from the Great Temple.

The trip to the ruins she had in mind took half an hour to get to, and with the wind singing past them and his hold on her firm and reassuring, it was a pleasant trip. She'd heard repeatedly the ruins they were visiting had a beautiful view of the Great Temple and the expansive forests which surrounded it. She wanted to see it for herself.

And blind or not, she wanted to see it with Kanan.

"We're pretty far off the beaten path," Kanan said when she slowed the speeder to a stop, then turned it off so they could dismount. "Taking me all the way out here to have your way with me?"

"And here I thought taking your Jedi knighthood seriously had gotten rid of that gunslinger I met all those years ago."

"Never," Kanan said playfully. "But if you're not going to have your way with me, all that's left is sacrifice. Going to sacrifice me up there on top of those ruins, Hera?"

Hera smirked. "You got me. I've been keeping you around all for the moment I could sacrifice you to a god." Kanan grinned and it was the contagious one she'd never found a way to stop. "Come on. We've got a bit of a hike up to the top. There are stairs most of the way up, but I've heard from the grapevine that it gets a little steep the further you go."

"Ah, now I see why you've _truly_ brought me along."

"It was for multiple reasons."

They began the climb at a steady pace. The stones were placed evenly enough and had endured time well enough that there was hardly any danger — which couldn't be said for some of the other ruins in the area. Birds sang an evening chorus in the trees, filling the air with lively sounds punctuated by their footsteps on stone as they climbed.

"Remember that time we were climbing ruins like these?" Hera asked. "Not long after Gorse?"

"How could I forget?" Kanan said. "I was sure I was going to die. It was the first time I went on mission with Chopper. I knew he was annoying when we left Gorse, but that was the first time I realized you had a murder-bot for a companion."

"And you still stayed with me," she pointed out.

"Of course I did. It was Chop trying to kill me, not you. If anyone was going to go, it was him." Kanan chuckled. "Nothing's changed."

"A lot's changed, since then," Hera said as she stepped a little higher to account for the new tier of construction. They were almost level with the treetops now, and a thin layer of sweat lined her spine. "It's not just you, me, and Chop anymore. We've got a family now. Friends. A place in the galaxy, doing good instead of scraping by."

"I'll have you know I enjoyed scraping by when I planet-hopped, before I met you."

"No, you didn't."

"Of course I did," Kanan said. "Drinking, bar fights, a new place to lay my head every night. What more could a dashing young drifter hope for?"

"Freedom from the Empire," she replied easily. "And a woman to tell him what to do."

"Can always count on you to see right through me," Kanan said. "Then again, you've always been intuitive about me. About all of us."

Hera hummed. Dusk was on its way. Already the sky was beginning to turn orange with streaks of deep pink tucked in here and there. No clouds dotted the horizon today, and with every step higher, more of it was revealed.

"Maybe about you," Hera said. "But I wondered if that intuition of mine had gotten us in trouble when Zeb joined the crew. I knew he'd been gunning for fights with the Empire, but I think I underestimated his … zeal for them."

"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," Kanan said, leaping over a section of broken stone and landing light on his feet a few steps above her, where he waited. "Hell, I underestimated him too, and I have the Force. I mean, we knew about Lasan, but that he'd been there in the thick of it?" Kanan shook his head. "I don't blame him for being a loose cannon back then."

"And I don't either. But I had my worries after he'd been captured three times in a row. Remember? All because he didn't feel the need to stop bashing heads when it was time to go."

"Sometimes I can't stop the urge to bash heads."

Hera rolled her eyes. "I know."

"But he eventually calmed down once we cleared the air and he told us what happened," Kanan said. "It was Sabine who was the tough one."

"Well, you're not wrong there."

They were above the treetops now, and the sounds of the birds and the forest were beginning to fade. More sky filled her vision, and a glimpse around hinted at the view she'd receive once they reached the top. But over halfway up now, the climb was getting more hazardous. The steps weren't as defined, and there were sections of stone which were broken or collapsed. Both were in constant motion weaving around obstacles and picking safe paths.

Not for the first time was Hera impressed with Kanan's ability to do it blind, when not so long ago he'd had trouble making it across the length of the _Ghost_ on Atollon. Yet another thing which had changed. Painful, as it was.

"For a while there I was sure she was going to bolt," Kanan said, choosing a path near hers, close enough that their elbows bumped and their fingers brushed before he drifted away again. "Honestly, I thought she was going to bolt damn near every week."

"That's funny. I never thought that," Hera said. "I mean, sure. She was paranoid and skittish, but after that first mission together when we infiltrated that Imperial base—"

"—You mean when she blew it up?" Kanan cut in.

"—I knew she'd stay," Hera continued. "I don't think she expected us to support her as much as we did, or encourage her to take her time getting to trust us. Space and time were all she needed. And a creative outlet."

"Well, we definitely provided that for her in spades. But I have to admit, she's grown from it."

"And that's nothing to say about Ezra."

The terrain was much more difficult, now that they were almost to the top. They moved single file now, with Hera in the lead and Kanan's presence solid and comforting behind her. More pink colored the sky, slowly bleeding into lovely reds. She could see the landing above, now. They were close to the end.

"Ah, Ezra." A sigh slipped out of Kanan's mouth as he said the boy's name fondly. "Oh, Ezra."

"That about sums it up," Hera laughed. "Don't think I could've said it better."

"He's grown so much," Kanan said, an easy smile lingering on his face. "From loth-rat to Jedi to Lieutenant Commander in the Rebel Alliance. I'm so proud of him."

"I know you are," Hera said. "We all are."

A rock slipped under her foot, and Hera pitched to the side before Kanan caught her with a steady hand, stabilizing her back and keeping her upright until she regained her footing.

"Careful, darling. It's a long way down from here."

Warmth filled her chest as she looked at her dependable, wonderful Jedi. "Maybe I trust you not to let me fall, luv?"

His blind eyes softened. "I'd never let you fall."

And she knew it.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers. "We're almost there."

Together they made their way up the final leg to the landing, and once there Hera took a deep breath. From here she stared out across the trees to the Great Temple where the base was hidden, out to the other distant ruins where they poked up above the trees, and beyond to the end of the dusky horizon. She squeezed Kanan's hand in hers and let the majesty of what she was seeing overwhelm her. It wasn't often she let herself do this, be swept up by something incredible. She was always so controlled and responsible. There just wasn't time.

But here and now, with Kanan at her side, she could let herself have this.

"What's it like," Kanan asked quietly, his shoulder brushing hers as he set his eyes out to the horizon as well, as if he could see. The wind played with his long hair and the evening light cast him in a beautiful, otherworldly glow. He turned his eyes toward hers, and for a moment she imagined teal staring back instead of scarred white.

"It's beautiful," she told him, pulling her eyes away to gaze across the sea of trees again where the treetops rippled in the wind. "It's very beautiful."

She wished he could see it himself, but she kept those words quiet. It was hard for him, sometimes, being blind. It was as if he existed with one foot in another world, partially barred from them when he'd once been fully part of it too. His fingers squeezed hers as if he knew what she was thinking and she stroked a thumb along his knuckles.

"Where's the best spot for the view?" he asked. "I'd like to sit and take it in for a while."

"Over here."

She tugged his hand before sitting on the ledge of the landing overlooking the base and the sky beyond. Kanan settled beside her, their thighs and arms and shoulders brushing, and when he didn't let go of her hand, she didn't either. It rested balanced between them, a connection as intimate as the one they'd shared all these years together.

The setting sun was warm, and it kept the shadows at bay for a little longer as the cusp of night began to fall on the forest moon. The breeze here was cool, and the sound of the forest was distant, almost a world away. She and Kanan sat comfortably together, and for all their talk on the way up, there was no conversation now. But that was fine. Years together had brought with it companionable silences too, and these spoke much more than chatter did. She preferred it, in a lot of ways. There was no need to talk when so much had already been said.

As the sun set on Yavin, painting the base and its surrounding forest in oranges and reds before violets and deep purples darkened to night blue, Hera tightened her hold on Kanan's fingers. Sharing the solitude with him, she took a deep, cleansing breath, letting the stress which kept her body tight and ready melt away. Beside her, Kanan did the same before letting his head droop to her shoulder. The smooth strands of his hair brushed the side of her face and tickled her nearest lek.

"This won't last forever," Kanan said, his voice quiet and thoughtful as it broke the silence. The trip up here had been filled with flirty reflection and shared smiles, but alone as they were, it seemed they'd finally reached the heart of the conversation. Worked past the bravado and the steady mask of hope they both wore constantly to get at the worries which lay beneath and drove their actions. The serious stuff they only told each other when they were vulnerable like this, and cut off from the rest of the world. "The good times. What we've built. Changes are coming, I can feel them in the Force … and Hera—"

"I know," Hera said, resting her cheek against Kanan's hair, savoring the steady presence of him before closing her eyes. Darkness flooded her primary sense, and the bittersweet uncertainty of the future bore down on her relentlessly. Like this, all her fears and worries fought for her attention. That the rebellion might fail. That she might fail.

But most of all, now more than ever, that they were at risk of losing the precious thing they'd both worked so hard to build. Their crew. Their friends. Their family. Each other.

Hera wondered how Kanan could stand the constant press of darkness, if all that existed there was the horror of the unseen, imagined future, instead of the life around him.

Still, she didn't open her eyes, and instead tilted her face slightly to press her brow against his.

"For good or bad everything changes, Kanan," she said, listening to him breathe. "All we can do is hope for the best, and fight for that future. Appreciate what we have now, and the people we care about while we can."

Kanan sighed and leaned more heavily against her, and it was then she opened her eyes. The sky had darkened into night, the stars blinking into existence above while the bases floodlights created small pools of light below. The wind was gentle and balmy, and this high up with the sun set, the only sounds she could hear were their breaths and the quiet beat of their hearts.

She tightened her hand in his, savoring the moment and tucking it away like a treasure. And despite the uncertainty of tomorrow, despite the risks and potential loss and all the thoughts crowding in to steal her attention, she pushed them away. Those … those were the problems of tomorrow, and for now, that's where she wanted them to stay.

If only for this one, precious evening.


End file.
